Yes.
I text Madeline back.
Graham: Busy. Rain check?
Madeline responds with a thumbs up, and I go back to waiting for Delilah’s reply. When minutes go by without an answer, I begin second guessing myself. I should have taken Madeline up on her offer. I shouldn’t have texted Delilah at all.
But then her name flashes on my screen, and my hopes soar.
Delilah: Yeah. Was just thinking about you. Want to come over?
I grin. I can’t help it.
Graham: Actually, I was thinking I could take you somewhere.
Delilah: You know we can’t go anywhere public, lol. Do you want Harrison to punch you in the face?
I snort aloud.
Graham: I promise this place is off grid. No one will be around.
The dots appear, disappear, and reappear again.
Delilah: Okay. You can come get me whenever.
I smile down at the phone. I manage to pull on jeans and a t-shirt in record time, heading out into the warm, clear evening and hopping into my truck. I make it to Delilah’s in ten minutes, and soon I’m knocking at her door.
She opens with a soft smile. She’s wearing the same outfit from earlier—jeans and a cute, cropped sweater. I can see just ahint of her midriff, and it has me thinking of all the places I’d touched her just a few days ago.
“So, where are we going?” she asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“It’s a surprise,” I say. “Although you should bring a jacket.”
She crinkles her eyebrows at me, grabbing a jacket and her purse from the hook by her door and stepping out into the night. And then we’re back in my truck driving down the darkened country lanes.
“You’re really not going to tell me?” Delilah presses from the passenger seat.
Smirking, I shake my head.
She harumphs dramatically. “You know, I typically don’t make it a habit of letting men take me somewhere mysterious after dark. But I suppose you’re trustable.” She side-eyes me. “After all, Harrison would kill you if anything happens to me.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, you’ve got nothing to worry about from me, Trouble.” I glance across the console, briefly meeting her gaze. “I’ve got you.”
Her eyebrows raise. “Trouble?”
I shrug. “Yeah, thought it was a fitting nickname.”
“How so?”
“You said it yourself—Harrison would kill me if anything happens to you. And here you come, begging for something to happen to you.”
Delilah opens her mouth in mock offense. “I’m a big girl. I can make my own decisions.”
“Didn’t say you couldn’t. Doesn’t mean you’re not trouble.” I wink at her.
She laughs softly, turning away from me and gazing out the window. “Wait, are we—are we at Thatcher Ranch?”
I simply grin.
